Pros: Easy ordering process through Rakuten, no snags in payment, item-creation or mailing. Extremely quick to make and ship (within the 2 weeks promised on the website).

Colors and delivered pieces are more-or-less as promised. There are no major design errors. Costume is useable and was cheap (about $125 for 4 pieces).

Cons: I did not recieve exactly the same product shown in images ~ my costume has an error that is not included in the thumbnails. Haruki's rainbow jacket trim also lines the ~inside~ collar of his jacket, both in the games and in the display photos. The inside of my collar and waistband are red. Since the jacket is worn open, this is an accuracy problem and I'll need to try to match fabrics to fix it myself.

Fabrics are cheap, flimsy and there's no change of the costume looking like real clothing (everything's polyester of the brightest, most obvious sort). The pants are especially costumey and I might swap them out for a pair of dyed jeans.

The costume is a bit poorly put together and bears a striking resemblance to the no-man's land inside my Chinese factory Hope pants that fell apart on me in the middle of Tokyo Game Show. All the more reason to replace them!

Final Comments: Fast, cheap, flimsy, not particularly well-made and possessing of one moderately glaring error which is also an inconsistancy with the promised photo.

Final Grade: C+

(My friend has also used this company once and had a similar problem with accessories, socks, etc. being not as-shown, but the basic costume itself being more or less as-promised. That's 2 out of 2 purchases with differences between display photos and costumes, so tread carefully and expect some discrepencies for the worse.)

*follow up. After reading on the site that the company guarantees items to be exactly as-shown, I emailed the company with my grievences. The emails back have been curt and devoid of the usual Japanese courtesy. I was asked for photos to prove my claim, which I sent. Then I was told there was no problem and that the costume was "designed that way". I have since sent photos back with discrepencies circled and huge black arrows pointing to them. But really, I shouldn't have to >.< It is obvious from the photos I sent (including their own display image) that the costume has an error.

Timeline: Contacted her around mid May, paid late May, shipped June 30, received July 2 [so maybe a month?]

Pros: I really LOVE the tail! She did an amazing job with it and it's sturdy and looks like it can last for a long time. She's a very nice person and comfortable to talk with. She told me what type of fabric is best for the tail and would described them to me. It usually took her less than a day [sometimes a few days] to respond to emails and also sent progress pics and keeps you updated.

Cons: Nothing too big but after she finished, I asked her to hold on to the tail and ship it out on a certain day until I come back from a trip. It didn't take her until a week to ship it because of a busy schedule. I also asked for a tracking number, but never received it [I'm blaming Anime Expo?], but overall the package came here quickly and safely.

Despite the cons, she did keep me updated and I believe she attends cons in California and Cali has like over 1000 big cons each year [especially Anime Expo] so I completely understand.

Overall she's really great to work with and I'll definitely come back to her if I need any tails / wings!
Final Grade: A- [just for messaging issues but I really recommend her c:]

Name of Commissioner: "Dehlia's Comissions"Website/C.com gallery: Lyn http://www.cosplay.com/member/3699/Character commissioned: Seth Nightlord Base Jacket: Green jacket with square neckline and puffy sleeves with white cuffs.Pictures of the item: (decorated and altered) http://www.cosplay.com/photo/2965362/Timeline: About two weeks-ish. A little long because I pay with snail mail.Describe your Experience:
She politely and quickly responded to my super detailed email about a quote within a day. Her price was reasonable, she allowed for partial costume commissions, and she accepted cash/money orders (AMAZINNNGG because I don't have a paypal D: ) She immediately told me the estimated price and we worked it out right away. She send me a picture of the fabric, asking me if it was the color I wanted, she described the fabric (because I'm a fabric idiot) and updated me what she was doing over email. She even satisfied my request to have two extra yards of fabric and send them to me with the jacket. I paid for the time and materials, and then sent a second payment for shipping. It was a very simple commission that turned out exactly how I wanted it to be! It fit me very well and all the seams were finished and it was very good quality. I'll DEFINITELY commission from her again, her other works look absolutely gorgeous.

Final Grade: A

__________________
[center]Proud member of 5th Kira Cosplay: cosplay sketches, music videos, and bloopers!

Character commissioned and series/video game (please include if this was the entire costume, just a jacket, prop, accessory, wig, etc.) : Nurse Joy from Pokemon (wig)

Links to picture(s) of your commissioned item: n/a at the moment will be posting pics after Ikasucon.

Timeline (how long your order took to process): April 1st, 2011 - 07/07/11. It was suppose to be here before the 6th.

Describe your Experience. Pros, Cons, Comments.:

Pros:

The only part I really like about my wig are the front portion of the bangs. I couldn't have asked for better. But as a whole process of commissioning through her, it was just a headache after headache. No other pros about it. She did over night the wig, with a tracking number. And she did ship the wig with a wig head.

Cons:

At first she seemed really quick to respond to any questions. The communication was great in the beginning. The only time though that I noticed to seem to get responses was when I prodded her over a note on DA. Things had slowed down. I had choose her because of word-of-mouth through a friend to do this commission. But I made her promise to do several things with this commission: 1. keep me updated once progress was made 2. take progress pics. Neither was done. Each time I poked her on DA to see how things were going, she always had some kind of excuse. Either she was too busy with wig commissions or conventions. I got sick of it. One note got kind of nasty to get the point across that this wig was promised to be by July, before my convention. Two weeks ago, she claimed that it was 2-3rds done after she threatened me to take my refund for my wig. I just wanted the wig. I've had so many issues with finding a commissioner that was able to handle this wig. She said that was fine so she will continue to work on it. Then last week, I saw her post about AX on DA. I noted her again due to that I still have not seen any progress pics or received anything from her on her end. She claimed that she sent it out on last Wednesday via priority mail. It is still not here. I'm really upset right now. I have little faith that I'll get my wig on time for this con, and if I'll even get this wig at all. I've been waiting patiently since April 1st for my commission. If you are that too busy to do a commission, then why commission at all? Leave the excuses out of your business and just do your job like you were hired to do. Just take precautions if you approach her to do a commission for you.

Edited 7/7/11Final Grade: D+
This is for the lack of correspondence, deadline that was missed by a day and a half and for breaking promises of not updating me with progress pictures throughout the entire process. This commissioner is too busy with life and yet she still takes on commissions. Just be cautious if approached by her. She does claim she is stopping commissions in September for good because of the "little pay" she gets for doing such.

Edit:

Update - she noted me on DA, after threatening for a refund. She claims that she's going to over night it and it should be here by noon tomorrow. I still doubt I'll see this wig.

Final Edit:

The wig came today. She had expressed mailed it. She expected me to pay for shipping on all the hassle I had to deal with. She barely met the deadline. She was too busy all the time to respond or work on my wig, when she had it since April. She did ship it with a wig head, thankfully. I am glad that she didn't even question not too.

As for the quality of the wig's grade:

I would give it an C. She had stubbed the back of the wig for the loops; but did not cover or closed them off. I will have to make something to go over them. It's pretty hideous other wise. The color is a bit darker then I originally wanted. There's a lot of uneven-ness throughout the side bangs. I will be trimming up those later my self.

(to be honest I wish I had better pictures that did the wig justice @__@)

Timeline (how long your order took to process): The order was processed almost immediately. She replied quickly and efficiently to my Wig quote queries and was really open to working with the schedule I had in mind. The only delays were on my part, as I gathered the money to put down my payment. Otherwise I recieved the wig just a bit earlier then expected (which was AMAZING) and in perfect condition.

Describe your Experience. Pros, Cons, Comments.

Pros: I'm a first time wig buyer so I was fairly nervous, and probably asked an equal amount of stupid and nitpicky questions. Still she treated me kindly, with unbelievable patience and really worked with me to nail down the wig that I wanted. I appreciated that she was willing to work with me, and even took my suggestions into account. I really appreciate that attitude from a commissioner, rather then being told that things can be made only one way. She kept me updated on the wig, and sent me progress shots when I requested it as well. The detailed tutorial picture she sent me on measuring my head was also really helpful. I also appreciated that it was packed very securely into a box so that the wig wouldn't be jostled much, and on a wig head with some awesome candy's thrown in. She also sent me a very nice, detailed set of instructions on how to care for the wig--which I appreciated. I also got the wig early even! Which is amazing to me, and I was really grateful for that .

The wig itself is amazing. The custom color job she did on the wig is subtle, and natural looking. She put in a gradient as well, that I found really lovely when I noticed it, and the overall mix of blonde and pink was perfect. The bangs were very flattering on my face, and they are nice, full, and soft. The length of the wig is nice, and it came completely detangled and after wearing it for a day it still feels the same as when I received it, with very minimal tangling. The wig fibers were nice and soft, and it smelled nice too. She added length, volume, and curls in on my request which came out lovely as well. overall I was pretty darn ecstatic when I received the wig and no picture really does it justice.

Cons: None.

I definitely plan on commissioning all my wigs from her in the future .

Name of Commissioner: AllanimeDVDWebsite:http://www.allanimedvd.comItems purchased: Naruto ANBU MaskLinks to picture(s) of your items recieved: ComingTimeline (how long your order took to process): about 5 weeks?

Pros: Easy ordering process, the order was confirmed quickly and it was shipped quite fast.

Delivered piece was exactly as expected, and it's very durable but still lightweight.

Cons: It took quite a long time for the item to be delivered to my house, but I can't blame the website for it; it got stuck in customs on the way over here. One thing though that kind of irked me was that it was unwrapped and stuffed (for protection) with dirty old newspaper. It took a few times of cleaning it to get that smell out of it. D:

Timeline (how long your order took to process): Contacted on Jan 10th, payment sent Feb 16th and recieved item on May 20th.

Describe your Experience:

Contacted Anna (Dream Angels) on Jan 10th asking if they were able to take on the project of making my Rinoa cardigan, but with some adjustments to the width and style. They were really friendly and said this was no problem, we discussed measurements, and they said that the alterations to the Rinoa duster would cost me an additional $30 and the shipping to my country would be $25, bringing the cardigan and arm warmer price to a total of $185. Now, i've ordered from these guys before and the service was amazing, in fact the first time I ordered from them years ago, they actually made me a costume in a deluxe style, but cheaper in price, which was very kind of them, so I agreed to pay the money, it was sent via Paypal and I got an email saying it had been recieved and that they would begin work on it that weekend. I was also told I could email at any time for a progress report ( Screen shot here:http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/n...er-XI/adad.png) and that it would be with me in time for our agreed deadline of May 25th.

By April 14th, I decided to give them a message and ask for a progress report and by May 6th, I'd heard nothing, which worried me. I was polite, and simply asked if they had gotten my previous message. No response. I decided to give them several days to reply to me and got nothing, and then saw that their website had gone down and was down for quite some time. Getting more worried, I send them the following in an email:

Quote:

'Hi guys,
I'm getting really concerned now, I've heard nothing from you for weeks and your website has now gone down. I can understand that you guys are really really busy, but it's very worrying when a commissioner takes money from you and then you hear nothing for months, more so when a deadline is approaching. I have commissioned from you guys before and you were very good and reliable, and I'd like to think you still are, but this lack of contact is really disconcerting.

I'm willing to give you guys the benefit of the doubt and assume that the costume will be shipped out and meet the agreed deadline of 25th of May. I'm sad to say this, but if the deadline isn't met, I'll have no choice but to file a dispute and claim the money back, as $185 is a lot of money. '

No sooner had I sent this, the website comes back up, and on the 18th of May, I get a message saying:

Quote:

'Your item was dispatched May 8, 2011.
It should arrive before your deadline.
Our website went down temporarily due to server issues. It is back up and running.
We apologize for the delay in response.
Thank you,
~dreams'

Fine. Great, my item has been sent. Thank god as it's close to con time.
So a few days later a package arrives. Yey! I open it and its...not what I expected. Infact, it's nothing like what I expected. The costume doesn't even look like the one on their website, infact, it's a piece of fabric with two holes cut out of it and some front panels hastilly sewn on. The edges are rough, the fabric cheap and see through and the wings on the back are painted in stiff paint and have seeped through. The alterations I asked for were NOT done, so I paid an extra $30 for nothing, and they took 22inches off the length. The web site said it took only 12 inches off the length of the costume in relation to height. It was also miles too big. And just as an added extra, Anna lied about when she posted the parcel. She posted it on the 18th of May, not the 8th, so my guess is she saw the email about claiming the money back, panicked and made the thing I now have in my posession. (Proof of the postage date: http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/n...XI/postage.png)

Very angry, I email them with the following:

Quote:

'I received a package from Anna today, which was my Rinoa cosplay. I'm sorry to say that the costume was less than I expected. I paid $185 plus shipping for the costume and what I received was not, in my opinion, worth $185.

The costume was far too large around the bust and back area, it was also too short (Your website says that you take off 12 inches from the length of the costume, mine had roughly 22 inches taken off) and the paint has leaked through the back of the costume and is too small/uneven in areas. The post stamp says it was sent on the 18th of May, but I was told it was sent on the 8th of May. I'm really disappointed because I have ordered from you before and the quality of service I received was excellent, as was the costume I received and so I hope we can resolve this situation.'

And hear nothing. So I send them another after two weeks:

Quote:

'Hi guys,
It's been over two weeks since I emailed you regarding the costume which I was sent on May 18th. I sent you an email on May 24th stating that I was not satisfied with the product and was hoping that we could resolve the issue. As no feedback or contact has been given regarding the issue, I have no choice but to take the matter further. I am willing to wait one more week, starting from 11th of June GMT in hopes that you might contact me during this time and we can come to a solution together. If the issue is still not resolved in the next week then it shall be taken further. '

I've still heard nothing from them and am now persuing legal action against Anna. It's a huge shame, as when I ordered from her several years ago she was amazing, I'm unsure what has happened.

Name of Commissioner: Cosplaymagic.comWebsite/C.com gallery:http://www.cosplaymagic.com/fullmeta...d-cosplay.html it looks better than this picture.Wig:http://www.cosplaymagic.com/fualliyaocow.html the wig was $10 off when i ordered it with the costume! How nice.Character commissioned and series/video game (please include if this was the entire costume, just a jacket, prop, accessory, wig, etc.)
It was Greedling from Fullmetal Alchemist, i ordered it for my friend who lacks a computer. I commissioned the whole outfit and the styled wig.Links to picture(s) of your commissioned item: It's perfect, It looks like it could fit him snuggly: not too tight looking, but not too huge either.Timeline (how long your order took to process): I ordered it June 27th, and received it July 7th. They started making it on the 30th, and shipped it on the 5th. They said it would take 3-4 weeks...but it arrived at my home today : ) I was VERY happy with that!Describe your Experience. Pros, Cons, Comments:Pros: They followed my request perfectly. I asked if the costume could be black-because in the picture it's gray for some reason- and the shirt sleeveless. The fabric looks and feels very nice! In fact, the big coat/jacket looks like something a successful business man would wear. It also doesn't feel like it would be too hot to walk around in, considering it's BLACK. The wig also looks exactly as it does in it's picture. They did an excellent job of re-creating Greedling's hair. I was quiet impressed. Cons: NONE. At all. The seller was quick in contacting me, I got a tracking number right away, and I got my costume right away with no visible problems.Comments: I'm very happy with this. Seeing the mixed reviews I was a little worried, but that changed when i saw this costume. *I'm not a seamstress* But looking closer at it, the edges are really very sturdy feeling. It's not frayed anywhere so it looks like it will last a long, long time.Final Grade: A+, everything you buy from that place you get EXACTLY what's in the picture. I'm most definitely going to recommend them to anyone who asks!

Name of Commissioner: Limebarb
Website/C.com gallery limebarb.com
Character commissioned and series/video game (please include if this was the entire costume, just a jacket, prop, accessory, wig, etc.): Utena Tenjou (movie version) jacket and shorts
Links to picture(s) of your commissioned item
Timeline (how long your order took to process) 12months
Describe your Experience.

I commissioned this costume in October of 09 with a need by date of March 2010, a month earlier than the event I was planning on wearing it to. More than enough time for a fairly simple costume with no accessories and extravagant details. I opted for the payment plan, even payed off the costume 3 months early. Communication was great, that is, until the costume was fully paid for. Once the bill was paid the communication stopped. A week before my due date I was starting to get a bit nervous. None of my emails were being replied to and suddenly nobody picked up the phone...ever. Even during normal "business hours" as listed on their site. Two days before the need by date I finally got an email stating it was ready and would be shipped in the morning. Great! So I waited...and nothing. No email with tracking number, etc. Need by date comes and goes, which is ok because my event wasn't for another month. I email them again. No reply until several days later, "its not ready yet. we'll have it done asap." Wait a minute... didn't you say it was ready to ship?Emailing goes back and forth and two days before I leave for my event I get a shipping notice email. They're overnighting it! Well, my event came and went and no costume. I come home and a day later it arrives, completely inaccurate. I sent them an email, being more polite than I probably should at this point and she offers to fix it for me for free. Ok, no worries. So I eat the cost of returning the item for them to fix it. This was in April. I fail to hear back from them for months. I end up having to file with the BBB and in September I finally get my package with a "oh it was done we just hadn't gotten around to sending it because we didn't think you needed it right away. please remove your claim against us, btw here's a pile of our business cards for your friends!"
Pros: none
Cons: slow/no response once payments received, slow delivery, no care for confirmed need by dates, poor quality first time around, clearly does not care about customers, and according to their policy i'm now and "irresponsible" customer for reviewing my bad experience with them
Comments: the summary really says it all
Final Grade: F

I had good communication with her for the first week or so of the commission, but after she had my measurements and my money, it was only one excuse or two before she stopped e-mailing me altogether. I tried contacting her via multiple mediums, and she has not said anything (despite logging on to cosplay.com frequently). Clearly I've been scammed, and clearly you should avoid her at all costs.

Name of Commissioner: BlackMoon Cosplay
Website/C.com gallery: http://blackmooncosplay.webs.com/
Character commissioned and series/video game (please include if this was the entire costume, just a jacket, prop, accessory, wig, etc.) Wig for Aaeru from Simoun
Links to picture(s) of your commissioned item: Same as the pics from before
Timeline (how long your order took to process): April 6-July 8
Describe your Experience. Pros, Cons, Comments.: This was the 2nd time I commissioned her to make a wig. My first one was great, but it puffed in the back when I wore it. I have a child-sized head. So I wanted to get a second wig made and I contacted her about doing a second one. The first one was done well in my eyes so I asked and mentioned the puffing. Immediately she said that she could fix that and that her head is small as well. It would just require her to pull the back tighter, so she'd make the wig as though it were for her head.

This time there wasn't any communication or progress pictures, and I wasn't bothered by this at all. She was doing everything she'd done before so it was going to look pretty much the same. The agreed upon due date was June. I'd signed up for a June spot, but never asked exactly what day that meant. I figured that it meant I'd have it by the end of June, which was fine. I didn't need the wig until the end of July for my con.

Around mid-June I contacted her to see how things were going and they were well. However, she had started a new job, which caused her to have less time to work on wigs. She was finding that it could be very difficult to do, but she never sent out an email that stated this, and I'm sure I never would have known unless I contacted her.

I began contacting her at the end of June and she kept saying I'd have the wig soon and she'd ship it no problem. She said she had a con over the that last June/first July weekend and it would be shipped out Monday or Tuesday. She tends to ship priority mail so she said by Friday at the latest. Friday came and went so I emailed her again. The next time she replied, she had shipped it and gave a tracking number. I was to receive it on the 8th. I did and it was packaged just as well as before. Once again she sent extra business cards and a free wig cap.

When I tried the wig on, it fit nicely and no puffing in the back. It was just what I wanted and I was very pleased with it. I'd still use her again, but definitely make sure to give her plenty of advance notice. She does great work.
Final Grade: A- (due to communication issues)